The Lodger (2009)

21% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
34% of users liked it
(6,452 ratings)

Waiting for Dr. MacGuffin director David Ondaatje takes his love for the "Master of Suspense" to the next logical step with this updating of the 1926 Alfred Hitchcock classic which shifts the action from turn-of-the-century London to contemporary Los Angeles. Adapted from the same Marie Belloc… More Waiting for Dr. MacGuffin director David Ondaatje takes his love for the "Master of Suspense" to the next logical step with this updating of the 1926 Alfred Hitchcock classic which shifts the action from turn-of-the-century London to contemporary Los Angeles. Adapted from the same Marie Belloc Lowndes novel that inspired the early Hitchcock effort, Ondaatje's thriller follows a mysterious lodger suspected of being a vicious copycat killer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: David Ondaatje
Written By: David Ondaatje, Marie Belloc Lowndes
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jan 23, 2009 Limited
On DVD: Feb 10, 2009
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films/IDP

Critic Reviews

Rex Reed, New York Observer
The cast works hard to make you believe they believe what the screenwriter tells them to believe. But in the end, it all seems contrived and silly.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
This strained, empty effort doesn't work as homage or update, and in its darkly violent sensibility has neither the glamour of Brian De Palma's referential nightmares or even the narrative fuel of the serial-killer-obsessed procedurals that dominate tv.
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
Filled with second-rate Brian DePalma twists, noirishly blurred lights and usually solid actors mouthing potboiler brine, The Lodger resembles bottom-shelf '80s dreck.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
A good cast can't save The Lodger, the utterly wrongheaded fourth movie version of a 1910 novel inspired by Jack the Ripper that was most famously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1926.
John Anderson, Variety
What needed to be a taut, structurally sound psychothriller instead malfunctions from the start.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
The Lodger is a spooky story ruined by lumpen dialogue, cloddish performances and a director and writer (David Ondaatje) oblivious to both.
Gregory Weinkauf, ÜberCiné
A smart and creepy thriller transposing a classic London tale to in-your-face modern Los Angeles. Helmer David Ondaatje's deft handling of actors and subtle twists demand a second viewing.
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
What might have played out as a passable whodunit becomes instead a frustrating drag.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
The disc includes two special features: a set of deleted and alternate scenes, and a nice featurette on the making of the film.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
Burdened by a cliche-ridden burnt-out-cop movie screenplay and over-the-top performances that don't mesh, this is a thriller that doesn't thrill as much as it irritates.
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
Ready-made for 3am HBO viewing, The Lodger is an unnecessary remake of a story that's already been covered more than enough times, thanks.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
There's a big cast of characters and the suspense is nicely drawn out, punctuated with just enough bloodlust to keep horror hounds happy.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
The director playfully taunts with the copycat notion of a little of Jack The Ripper in any man, in this flashy when not murky copycat thriller, and those particular unhealthy fixations manifested in varying degrees on both sides of the law.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Stylish cinematography along with a pulsating musical score make for a somewhat chilling experience, but had writer/director Ondaatje kept the story focused on the serial killings investigation without going off on poorly developed tangents, the film woul
Kurt Loder, MTV
A virtual tsunami of directorial incoherence %u2014 arbitrary visual cliches of the clouds-speeding-across-the-sky variety, and some of the most inappropriate use of classical music in the history of movies.
Eric Monder, Film Journal International
...The Lodger ends up just another modern-day policier, on the order of an extended "Law & Order" episode.
Nick Schager, Cinematical
Deviates not an inch from its rickety template.
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com
This faux Hitchcock mystery whodunit will only have you guessing why they bothered to remake it in the first place.
Jay Antani, Slant Magazine
Ondaatje's lack of certainty seeps from the dialogue and characterizations to his choice of an overwrought aria-heavy score and a shoddy sense of style that recalls episodic television and myriad Silence of the Lambs rip-offs.
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com
Stark, raving nuts

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Okay thriller, seen better, seen worse.
Film C

This is a fairly surprisingly good film with great twists and turns that ive seen in a very long time! its really worth a watch!!
Mark H

Updated remake of an early Hitchcock thriller about a psychologically unbalanced landlady and her enigmatic tenant. There's also a parallel story about a troubled detective who's on the hunt for a killer whose method bears a striking resemblance to Jack the Ripper. It all… More
Updated remake of an early Hitchcock thriller about a psychologically unbalanced landlady and her enigmatic tenant. There's also a parallel story about a troubled detective who's on the hunt for a killer whose method bears a striking resemblance to Jack the Ripper. It all unfolds like one of those procedural TV shows, but the story is fairly interesting and suspenseful with just enough stylistic flourishes to keep the viewer interested.
Danny R

A clever well-made and suspenseful updated remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1927 silent film classic of the same name. It concerns a mentally troubled Landlady, played by Hope Davis in a beautifully realized performance who lives a quiet dull life with her husband and young son, one… More
A clever well-made and suspenseful updated remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1927 silent film classic of the same name. It concerns a mentally troubled Landlady, played by Hope Davis in a beautifully realized performance who lives a quiet dull life with her husband and young son, one rainy day a handsome and mysterious stranger, played superbly by Simon Baker shows up at her door, wanting to rent her guesthouse, his arrival coincides with a series of brutal murders of young prostitutes off West Hollywood. Alfred Molina plays a obsessive police detective with a strong conviction and believability, it is a terrific portrayal he is determine to catch this copycat killer who murders his victims in the same fashion as the legendary serial killer Jack the Ripper, Shane West is excellent as Molina's rookie partner, there also are superlative supporting performances by Rachael Leigh Cook, Philip Baker Hall, Mel Harris, Rebecca Pidgeon and John Hammil. Solid direction by David Ondaatje, who's screenplay does a great job of keeping you guessing right to the very end, that has a surprisingly good double twist of an ending that is a real killer. The film has a haunting visual quality thanks to the exceptional cinematography by David A. Armstrong, and a moody score by John Fizzell that is perfect. A worth-while and marvelously entertaining chiller. Highly Recommended.
John M

Decent little thriller that will keep your attention and keep you guessing until the end. Worth a check!